Coca-Cola: We need to reframe the way we talk about the plastic problem

The soft drink giant’s CEO James Quincey is encouraging a two-pronged approach to sustainable packaging that includes both zero waste and reducing companies’ carbon emissions.

Coca-Cola’s CEO James Quincey is launching a call to arms to “reframe the plastic problem” away from just focusing on cutting use of plastic to thinking more about how to create a circular economy.

Speaking at the One Young World conference this morning (24 October), Quincey explained that brands, governments, and non-profits “have to reframe what we are trying to achieve” to encompass both a need for zero waste and a reduction in carbon emissions.

He explained: “There are two issues that come together. We don’t need, want or can survive the environmental degradation that waste causes and there is a second issue which the carbon crisis. That overlaps in a very powerful way.”

Quincey used the example of Coca-Cola’s own products to underpin his argument, arguing that in some cases plastic bottles can overall be the most environmentally friendly option.

He explained: “Most people, if they think of the plastic problem, will go to glass or cans and that would be true from a waste problem but from a carbon footprint point of view it would be a mistake.”